China supports transport of chemical weapons material from Syria

China says it's supporting the work of the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to safely remove chemical weapons material from Syria.

The UN Security Council adopted a resolution in September last year calling for the destruction of chemical weapons in Syria.

On Wednesday, China's representative to the UN, Ambassador Liu Jieyi, outlined his country's support for the process as the Security Council met behind closed doors to discuss the issue.

"We have sent a naval ship to escort the safe transport of these chemical weapons material for destruction. China has also provided expertise to OPCW. We have provided necessary equipment to the joint UN/OPCW mission to facilitate the transport and destruction of the chemical weapons in Syria." (24")

The first consignment of chemical weapons material left Syria on Tuesday aboard a Danish vessel escorted by Russian and Chinese ships.